Translating Thrills on the Skiing Trails

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The multilingual crowd at the women’s 30-kilometer cross-country race on Saturday relied on polyglot announcers. Thomas Bray, a French announcer, said their job was to “cheer the people.”CreditCreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia — For the past two weeks, cross-country skiing fans have been among the most boisterous, screaming, waving flags and ringing cowbells as the athletes circled on the trails around them.

Whether the fans knew it or not, there was a good chance that they were prompted by Jens Zimmermann, Thomas Bray and Andrey Arikh, the unlikely threesome of announcers at the stadium.

Speaking in English, French and Russian, they have provided nonstop patter throughout the tournament, everywhere and out of sight at the same time. For hours at a time, they have provided a hodgepodge of announcements, trivia and exhortations to the multilingual crowds.

They are also a work in progress as they try to blend announcing skills that do not always translate across cultures, particularly with fans who may not have spent much time in modern sports arenas.

Zimmermann, a German national who announces in English, said of the Russian fans: “How should they know what to do? They haven’t had any big events in the last 34 years, and they were taught for 100 years it was just Russia and not to cheer for anyone else. But they are improving really, really good.”

Zimmermann, who was an announcer for cross-country skiing in Vancouver as well, is the ringleader of the three. He sits between Arikh and Bray, often asking them questions in the prerace shows to fill time, nodding or pointing to signal who speaks next.

Zimmermann, an upbeat, athletic man, does most of the work trying to fire up the crowd with phrases that are at times peculiar yet endearing.

“Fasten your seatbelts, everybody, we are ready for takeoff,” Zimmermann yells before the start of every race. The phrase does not really work in German, he said, or apparently in Russian.

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From left, Andrey Arikh, a Russian announcer, and Jens Zimmermann, a German who announces in English, were part of a trio providing a mix of entertainment, exhortation and trivia.CreditJosh Haner/The New York Times

When the skiers enter the stadium, Zimmermann is in full throat. “Come on, ladies and gentlemen, here they are coming down the hill,” he said. “Come on, everybody, go, go, go!”

Arikh said that announcing in Russia was not nearly as developed as in the West, so some phrases, like “Let’s hear it!,” which was posted on the video board, did not translate directly.

“We don’t have such examples in Russia,” Arikh said. “We should say it in much more words than Jens says it, and it’s always the problem because we should cheer the audience in a short way. We don’t have such inspiring phrases.”

Unlike, say, speedskating or luge, which have many discrete races with time between them, some cross-country races last more than an hour, so Zimmermann, Arikh and Bray must provide a running commentary accompanied by a variety of pulsating and sometimes repetitive dance songs. Evgeniy Lobanok, the disc jockey, is allowed to pick only from a library of songs whose royalties have been paid.

While viewers on television hear them only during broadcasts, the three start announcing three hours before a race and end nearly five hours later, depending on the race. On Saturday, at the women’s 30-kilometer race, their program rundown had 103 cues, some of which were scripted and many others of which left room for the announcers to fill in.

The announcers also introduce video packages on the making of an Olympic medal, the volunteers and other topics. And there are various activities that would be familiar to most American sports fans, like the kiss cam, a camera that finds couples in the stands, displays their images on the video monitor and then encourages them to kiss.

Although French is an Olympic language and is spoken first for official announcements like the flower ceremonies, Bray speaks little during races because there are not many French spectators. He fills his time digging up facts or pointing out items of interest in the race to Zimmermann and Arikh. He does not mind the anonymity.

“Our job is to announce and cheer the people and not to write autographs,” he said.

Making a living announcing winter sports like cross-country skiing is not lucrative. Bray works weekends and takes care of his three children during the week, while his wife works. Zimmermann is an agent for winter sports athletes. Arikh runs the public relations department at a law firm.

Given their mix of languages, they are unlikely to work together again anytime soon. But they appear to get along easily. “From the beginning, we had a really, really good relationship,” Zimmermann said. “I know announcers could be like rivals, but with us, if someone has one minute, he has one minute; if he has 20 seconds, he has 20 seconds.”

Consider It a Processing Charge: The fees for protests at the Winter Games vary. In
luge it is about $67. Cross-country skiing and
snowboard complaints cost about $112.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page SP10 of the New York edition with the headline: Translating Thrills on the Skiing Trails. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe